Correspondence
Correspondence (previously known as Connection) is one of nine Spheres of magic in Mage: The Ascension. The Ahl-i-Batin occupied the Seat of Correspondence in the original Council of Nine Mystic Traditions, but it is currently held by the Virtual Adepts. The Shard Realm of Correspondence maps physically to the planet Mercury. It is associated with Dynamism in the Metaphysical Trinity. Overview Correspondence magic allows powers such as teleportation, seeing into distant areas, levitation, and flying. At higher levels, the Mage may also co-locate themselves or even stack different spaces within each-other. Correspondence can be combined with almost any other sphere to create effects that span distances. Space, interrelationships and sympathetic links all become clear through the study of Correspondence. By bending space or bypassing it entirely, a mage can travel rapidly, fly or teleport from place to place. Divining locations allows the mage to see far-away places or direct magic over distances. With a link between a person and an object, Effects may be targeted through connecting rituals. Distance forms no barrier to a master of Correspondence. Indeed, distance and even space do not exist to the student of this Sphere. Through the unifying Correspondence Point, mages realize that all things occupy the same space — or no space at all. Virtual Adepts, the most dedicated modern students of Correspondence, theorize that all things coexist in a single All-Space or Correspondence Point, and that bypassing space is simply a matter of realizing this unity. Mathematically, space is just an illusion, a convenient construct of the mind. Objects, people and places don’t really take up space, according to such theories. Instead, everything is just a Pattern, and space simply describes the relations of different Patterns to one another. Mystically inclined mages see Correspondence through the theories of contagion and sympathy. Any two things that have touched share a little trace of that connection, which can be called on through Correspondence. Objects or places that are similar in Pattern can be manipulated through that similitude. Any sort of connection opens the door to the manipulation of Patterns. It’s always easier to work with the familiar than the strange, after all. To utilize Arch-spheres, the Master of Correspondence has to figure out how to be in the same space as himself; the Correspondence Point lets Masters exist in many places simultaneously. Next, the mage must resolve the paradox of coexisting in space with himself as more than one simultaneous awareness of singular space. Marks Mages who focus on Correspondence tend to develop a befuddled or faraway look, as if they aren't paying attention. This is because of the growing perspective, and usually, they are more aware of their surroundings than others realize. In contrast to the impression of distraction, their very motions seem to be precise and planned, thanks to their growing knowledge of distances. Energies associated with Correspondence tend to be purple or silver in color. Limits Despite its capacity to bend space and distance, Correspondence functions only on whole Patterns unless combined with the various Pattern Spheres. That is, it’s impossible to just teleport away someone’s heart with Correspondence alone. In essence, Correspondence does not affect Patterns directly; such manipulations must be done with other magic. Correspondence simply lets those Patterns be affected, whole and complete, in changes of space or distance. If the mage wants to use Pattern Spheres to affect something with Correspondence, they're limited by the Correspondence level (if it’s lower than the Pattern Sphere). Thus, a mage can teleport something with just Correspondence, but if they want to change its Pattern at a distance, their skill with Correspondence is as important as their skill with the other Sphere. Paradigmatic Interpretations Below is a short representation of how the Sphere of Correspondence is interpreted by the various magickal factions within the World of Darkness. Traditions * Akashic Brotherhood: The Akashics regard Correspondence as Lokhadhatu, the dharma of Indra's Net that keeps the impermanent elements of reality together. Since the Net connects everything, separation is an illusion inflicted by the samsara (Consensus). Mount Meru stands at the centre of the net, acting as an anchor to the rest of existence that travels upon the Wheel of Ages. * Celestial Chorus: In the eyes of the Celestial Chorus, Correspondence is the omnipresence of the One. Everything is part of a pattern, which is, in its entirety, only visible and understandable by the One. Through Correspondence, a Chorister learns that as all space is under the One's rule and the One contains all things, every preposition that one can imagine in the relation between the One and space exists, being what connects everything. Some go so far and claim that all space is just an illusion. * Cult of Ecstasy: The Cult speaks of Correspondence as the "illusion of space" and assign the emotion of "Empathy" among the Nine Sacred Passions to it. Seeing that all things are connected and rely on each other, Cultists think of space in similar ways to Time. Both are illusions of placement within a continuum and will be transcended eventually to achieve a state of all-encompassing communication with everything. * Dreamspeakers: Dreamspeakers that use Correspondence look to the easily neglected spirits of distance and dimension. By bartering with these entities, a Dreamspeaker can then step "between", similar to how they [[Step sideways|step "sideways"]] to reach the Spirit World. * Euthanatoi: The Euthanatoi see Correspondence as Anya Win (The Whole). Correspondence treats are woven by the movement of the Great Wheel and administered by karma, which binds all things together, driving them forward towards perfection. * Order of Hermes: The Hermetics speak of Correspondence as the Ars Conjunctionis (sometimes properly formed as Ars Conligationis by pedantic masters). To them, it is the art of overcoming obstacles and transcending difficulty through enlightened Will. Correspondence guides the flow of magic between the four dimensions and the five senses, allowing a mage to expand his Will across Creation. *'Sons of Ether': For the Sons of Ether, Correspondence is Contagious Ether. Drawing on the theory of space as an element that ensures connection within a unified cosmos, more modern Etherites point to and gravitons, fermitrons, and bosons, while more esoteric speak of low-gravity orgone fields or a psychic propriety that comes into existence when minds differentiate between objects. * Verbena: The Verbena celebrate Correspondence during Lammas, the first of August where the grain is harvested and brought home. Closely associated with the Paths of the Wyck, the Verbena see Correspondence as the art of traversing the Tellurian, of roads and pathways that lead the Wise to their destination. * Virtual Adepts: The Virtual Adepts interpret Correspondence as the expression of the metric expansion of the universe through space-time in the form of mathematics. The Correspondence Point is the center of the Tellurian from which every other point within the Tellurian can be reached through informational input. Between the Correspondence point and the Hypersphere that is consensual reality lies the Digital Web, through which the Virtual Adepts access the Correspondence Point. Crafts * Ahl-i-Batin: The Ahl-i-Batin see Correspondence as their most important asset in reaching Unity. Seeing it corresponding to , the wahdat al-wujud teaches that all points are one. For the Batini, everyone is everything at once. It is only their limited understanding that prevents them from realizing this fact. * Hem-Ka Sobk: The Hem-Ka Sobk saw space as similar to Agb (water). Like the crocodile, they use water to travel and expand their senses. * Kopa Loei: The Kopa Loei call Correspondence "Kealanui", simply translated as "The Way". For the Kopa Loei, the way to their destination is already within them, and finding it is a simple manner of listening to your surroundings and being aware of your own presence in the world. * Taftâni: The Taftâni call Correspondence Ribash, the "Puzzle", since distance is an obstacle for Truth, but at the same protects it from being controlled. Taftâni do not hold Correspondence in the same regard as other, more offensive, Spheres, but utilize it to build wards against djinn and construct portals for transportation. Technocratic Union * The Technocratic Union (especially the New World Order) utilizes a different form of Correspondence called Data, while the Void Engineers use a form called Void Correspondence. Others utilize a version of Correspondence that fits closer to the version espoused by the Traditionalists, with a focus on how space is a single point, an overlapping geometry of mathematics that simply seems to bend or stretch according to the forms of matter in it. Standard Powers * **'Immediate Spatial Perceptions': Raises the mage's awareness of space to determine exact directions and distances, as well as distortions of the same. Allows locating things that the mage cannot perceive with their human senses. * **'Sense, Touch, Thicken And Reach Through Space': Allows the mage to extend their senses beyond their current location. With adjacent Spheres of Life or Matter, they can draw small lifeforms or objects through space. Allows one to dampen spatial distortion that can be sensed on rank 1. * **'Pierce Space': Allows a mage to penetrate the very fabric of space itself, opening small portals that allow travel via teleportation. With adjacent Spheres, the mage can teleport Patterns from a distance. **'Seal Gate': Allows a mage to ward an area against Correspondence Effects and mundane attempts to enter. **'Co-Locality Perception': Allows a mage to split their perceptions over various locations, allowing them to see multiple places simultaneously. * **'Rend Space': Allows a mage to create permanent portals to any location within the Tellurian. **'Co-locate Self': By causing their own Pattern to manifest in several perceived spaces, the mage can appear to exist in multiple places at once. Through the adjacent use of the Mind and Life Sphere, the appearance can interact and think just as the mage would. ** Ward: The mage can isolate forces, spaces, objects, or people into their own tiny realms with the use of various auxiliary Spheres. * **'Mutate Localities': Allows a mage to bend space according to their will, altering sizes and volumes, stretching distances and willfully manipulating any objects that appear in space. **'Co-Locate Space': Allows a mage to merge chunks of space together, superimposing location on each other instead of creating a portal. Archspheres * ** Fold Space: Allows a mage to reduce or increase the distance between two objects, or to fold the space around a person to twist them into various shapes. ** Create Space: Allows a mage to generate space by creating a zone of emptiness. * ** No Warding: Allows a mage to step through wards or allow others to ignore them by transforming into a small "Correspondence Point" herself. * ** Limits of Spirit: Allows a mage to transport material or spiritual realities to translocate features of a place instead of objects. * ** No Limits: The mage can move freely around the Tellurian. Correspondence Range References * ---- Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5 Level 6 Level 7 Level 8 Level 9 Category:Spheres (MTAs)